Table 4 Effect of dietary fermentation of cereals with or without carbohydrase supplementation on apparent ileal digestibility (AiD), apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD), pH and volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations in the ileal and caecal digesta of grow-finisher pigs (n = 6)1.

From: Effect of cereal fermentation and carbohydrase supplementation on growth, nutrient digestibility and intestinal microbiota in liquid-fed grow-finishing pigs

Cereal fermentation (Cferm)2:

Fresh

Fresh

Ferm

Ferm

 

P-value

Enzyme (ENZ)3:

−

 + 

−

 + 

SEM4

ENZ

Cferm

ENZ*Cferm

AiD

Dry matter

65.22

69.19

63.17

67.01

1.632

0.03

0.21

0.97

Organic matter

64.24

68.33

61.81

68.33

2.060

0.02

0.19

0.93

Crude protein

41.19

37.31

51.10

44.69

4.015

0.02

0.16

0.72

Gross energy

63.02

68.82

61.95

63.82

1.740

0.02

0.07

0.20

ATTD

Dry matter

83.23

85.41

84.79

85.98

0.286

 < 0.001

 < 0.01

0.08

Organic matter

84.28

86.49

85.73

86.92

0.327

 < 0.001

 < 0.05

0.10

Crude protein

80.68

84.25

84.44

85.94

0.635

 < 0.001

 < 0.01

0.13

Gross energy

82.24

84.77

83.84

85.55

0.388

 < 0.001

 < 0.01

0.23

Digestible energy, MJ/kg

14.91

15.43

15.25

15.61

0.071

 < 0.001

 < 0.001

0.18

Ileal digesta

pH

5.61

5.69

5.93

6.18

0.184

0.36

 < 0.05

0.61

Total VFA5

71.24

73.12

72.50

58.86

7.302

0.37

0.42

0.29

Caecal digesta

pH

5.27b

5.27b

5.24b

5.66a

0.063

 < 0.01

 < 0.01

 < 0.01

Acetate

129.54

133.70

137.34

119.25

6.504

0.26

0.62

0.10

Propionate

42.31

36.19

36.01

31.09

2.303

 < 0.05

 < 0.05

0.75

Isobutyrate

0.87

1.01

0.80

1.08

0.102

 < 0.05

0.98

0.47

Butyrate

21.12

21.29

18.92

15.20

1.315

0.09

 < 0.01

0.06

Isovalerate

1.36

1.51

1.30

1.52

0.133

0.17

0.82

0.77

Valerate

2.95

2.20

1.79

1.90

0.365

0.36

0.05

0.24

Total VFA

196.81

194.20

195.40

168.69

7.120

 < 0.05

0.07

0.10

Acetate:Propionate

3.25

3.76

3.93

3.91

0.251

0.28

0.07

0.23

Protein-derived VFA6

5.18

4.71

3.91

4.48

0.503

0.91

0.12

0.28

  1. 1Values within a row that do not share a common superscript are statistically different (P < 0.05).
  2. 2Fermenting the cereal fraction of the diet prior to feeding (fresh = not fermented, ferm = fermented).
  3. 3Enzyme supplementation with a Xylanase and β-glucanase complex [unsupplemented (−), supplemented ( +)].
  4. 4SEM standard error of the mean.
  5. 5Individual concentrations of ileal VFA were not significantly different and therefore only the total VFA concentration is shown.
  6. 6Protein-derived VFA calculated as the sum of isobutyrate, isovalerate and valerate.
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